Integrated aircraft galley and appliance operating system

ABSTRACT

A system for communicating between passenger seats and an aircraft galley. The system may include a control unit including a display area for interfacing with a crew member. The system may include a plurality of devices, each positioned at a respective passenger seat. The control unit may be adapted to display on the display area data related to a particular order, including a location of an associated passenger seat. The control unit may be further adapted to transmit to a particular device associated with the order notifications concerning a status of the particular order.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation application based on U.S. Ser. No. 16/520,980,filed on Jul. 24, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.15/977,941, filed on May 11, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser.No. 15/397,633, filed on Jan. 3, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.Ser. No. 15/219,241, filed on Jul. 25, 2016, which is a continuation ofU.S. Ser. No. 13/848,210, filed on Mar. 21,2013, which claims priorityfrom U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/614,730, filed Mar. 23,2012, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Commercial aviation tends to be a very competitive industry vying forthe consumer's dollar. To compete in the industry, airlines must striveto be efficient in all areas while offering passengers amenities thatbring attention to the airlines and induce passengers to fly with aparticular airlines. One area of interest to the passengers is theinflight experience, including the food and beverage service. Passengerswant a variety of options for food and beverage, which is a challenge tothe airlines who want to conserve weight and space. The conflict betweenpassenger experience and airline economics is never more prominent thanin in the aircraft's galley. An aircraft galley refers to the area ofthe vehicle that is used by the flight attendants to service thepassengers, particularly the passengers' food and beverage needs. Due toconstraints with space and weight, these areas are very ordered andefficient in all aspects of their construction and arrangement. Oneimportant consideration in the design of the galley is the powerdistribution and power consumption of the various equipment, or“inserts.” Inserts can be any power consumer such as a coffee brewer, anoven, a trash compactor, an overhead light, or any other electricalappliance that can be found in the galley area. Power on an aircraft isa limited and controlled commodity, and the control of the power is animportant consideration in every galley.

The power arrangement of the aircraft galley is traditionally been aseries of individual appliances connected to a main power supply, eachappliance individually operated by its own controls, power switch, etc.Because power is limited on a flying aircraft, the management of thispower is critical to the safe and reliable operation of the aircraft.However, with each individual appliance operating independently of theother appliances, control over the power structure is limited. Also,there is no easy way of discerning an overall health of the power systemor run diagnostics of the system. Rather, each applicant must be polledindividually to determine its health, operational condition,maintenance, etc. Because of the arrangement of some galleys, this canbe labor intensive and expensive to conduct. What the art needs is agalley power system than can interface with all of the various equipmentin the galley, run diagnostics and service inquiries, and control thegalley through an interface that manages the power according to ahierarchy.

Another aspect of the efficiency of the galley is the communicationbetween galleys, flight attendants, and passengers. The service andsatisfaction of the passengers is of great concern to airlines, butthere are challenges to attending to so many customers confined in suchclose quarters. Most communication is either vocal, or in some casesthere is limited electronic communication between the passengers and thegalley. However, the state of the art aircraft lacks a comprehensivecommunication system that links the passengers, galley, and flightattendants in an efficient manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an integrated galley and appliance operatingsystem for use in an aircraft that consolidates the operation and powerdistribution of the galley to a single control panel. The integratedgalley and appliance operating system provides a single operatinginterface for electrical appliances such ovens, coffee makers, toasters,refrigerators, lighting, etc., eliminating the need to control eachappliance at its individual controls. A total system controller (TSC) islocated remote from the individual appliances with sufficient capabilityto operate each one individual appliance or as combined functions. Forexample, using the system controller, two or more ovens could be startedon similar cooking cycles starting at the same time. The result is thatthe meals are finished at the same time, reducing work load on theattendants. In addition, the controller monitors all of the appliancesand prioritizes the power requirements. The total system controller alsopreferably monitors appliances for diagnostic purposes, and produces asystem “health” status to aircraft maintenance personnel or maintenancecommunication systems. The integrated control system has the powercontrols built in and provides power management for optimizing powerusage.

The galley control of the present invention includes an integratedcommunication system that links passengers, flight attendants, and galleys, through voice or electronic messaging. This allows passengers tocommunicate with the galley, and galleys to communicate with each other,in order to better service the passengers. Moreover, using handhelddevices such as smart phones, PDAs, or other communication devices, thegalley can also communicate with flight attendants throughout theaircraft. The communication system improves efficiency and allows formore expedient and better service to the passengers.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate by way of example the operation of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary aircraft galley monument having a power sharingsystem and operational control system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a power and operation distributionpanel for the galley monument of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of an operation control system for the galleymonument of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a power control system for the galley monumentof the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a communication panel that is part of thecontrol panel of FIG. 2

FIG. 6 is a schematic of an aircraft interior that is part of a displayon the communication panel of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is another schematic of an aircraft interior that is part of thedisplay on the communication panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a galley monument 10 that is one half of an aircraftgalley that can incorporate the features and benefits of the presentinvention. Typically another galley monument (not shown) would beopposed to the galley 10 and incorporate other appliances and equipmentsuch as additional ovens, food storage, trash compactors, and the like.It should be understood that the specific features of the galleyappliances are not critical to the present invention, and otherappliances can be substituted or rearranged without departing from thepresent invention. In the example galley monument 10 depicted in FIG. 1,a plurality of compartments 12 are provided for housing beverage carts,and there is an ample workspace 14 for preparing food and beverages forthe passengers. The workspace 14 may include various GAINs, short for“GAlley INserts,” including beverage brewing machines 16, ovens 18, asink 20, and overhead lighting above the workspace 14. Cabinets 22 areprovided to house coffee mugs, serving utensils, and the like, andoverhead chillers 24 can store canned beverages, alcoholic beverages,perishables, and the like. In other galleys, the chillers are located inslots where the beverage brewing equipment 16 is located in the galleyof FIG. 1. Along the front face of the galley 10 is a universal controlpanel 30 that is used to control the operations and monitor all of allpower-consuming equipment, lights, etc. in the galley 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates the control panel 30 that is used to operate theGAINs of the galley 10. The control panel 30 in a preferred embodimentuses touch screen technology to enter commands into the system. Forexample, beverage maker 16 a may represent a coffee maker that can becontrolled at the universal galley control panel 30. The control panel30 includes a power button 32, and various coffee machine controlbuttons 34 for operating the coffee machine. One button may correspondto a stronger brew versus a weaker brew, or a timer for beginning thebrewing operation. Each of these control buttons is linked through thegalley operation control unit 40 to the individual power consumers(i.e., the coffee maker, oven, chiller, etc), or GAINs. Similarly, theespresso machine 16 b is controlled by touch screen buttons 36 and 38 onthe universal control panel 30 to operate the espresso machine 16 b inthe galley. GAIN 16 c is similarly controlled by buttons 40, 42 on thegalley control panel 30. The oven 18 is also controlled via touch screenbuttons 44, 46, 48 on the universal control panel 30. Button 44 may be apower button to initiate power to the oven 18, and a display window 50scrolls instructions, temperatures, durations, etc. that is adjusted bythe buttons 46, 48. The galley lights, chillers, trash compactors, andother GAINs are similarly controlled using the galley universal controlpanel 30 as opposed to controls on the individual GAINs themselves.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the GAINs control via the galleyuniversal touch screen unit 30. Commands entered by the operation at thetouch screen control unit 30 are communicated to the galley control unit40, which parses and identifies the commands and their associatedappliance. A bus 52 connects each GAIN 56, be it an oven, brewingapparatus, trash compactor, or any other power client of the galley 10to the galley controller unit 40. Commands are communicated along thebus 52 to the individual GAINs 56, which receive the commands and areexecuted at the GAINs themselves. The bus 52 also connects the smartgalley lighting 58, the galley cooling units 60, and the galley smartcircuit breakers 62. In this manner, the touchscreen panel 30 can sendcommands to all of the power consumers in the galley along a single bus,allowing galley operation at a single location. For example, thetouchscreen display could he used to start a pair of ovens or initiate acoffee brewing operation from a single location. The integratedoperating system may also contain a display panel (not shown) thatreports the status and functionality of each GAINs. The display panelcould indicate which GAINs are operational, which ones are currently inuse, whether maintenance is due on any of the GAINs, or any error codesor services messages. The fact that the entire galley's status can bechecked from a single location is a significant advantage over theexisting systems and saves both time and manpower servicing the galley.Alternately, each individual GAIN could include its own display panel,such as that shown in FIG. 2 (see display 50).

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram corresponding to a power sharing andcontrol system for distributing power to the various GAINs in the galleyaccording to the present invention. Box 100 represents the galley's mainpower and control board that provides power to the galley for all of theappliances and power clients such as lighting, ovens, chillers, etc. Themain power unit 100 is connected to a power control and distributiondevice 110 that is responsible for allocating and distributing power tothe various power clients on a priority basis set forth in the powercontrol and distribution's logic. The priority can be based on theimportance of the needs of the galley, such as always allocating powerfirst to the lighting system 120, or providing power to refrigerationunits before ovens to preserve perishables. The power control anddistribution device 110 interconnects the galley's main power 100 to allof the appliances that are found in the galley, such as ovens 18,beverage chillers 24, air chillers 25, as well as lighting panels 120and other lighting, and various other inserts.

In operation, each GAIN requests power from the power control anddistribution device 110, which allocates the available power from themain galley power unit 100 to the requesting GAIN based on a hierarchyin its control logic. Each of the various GAINs is assigned a priority,and the power control and distribution device maintains the priority inallocating the limited power available to the galley.

The integrated galley and appliance operating system of the presentinvention provides a single operating interface (control panel 30) forelectrical appliances such ovens, coffee makers, refrigerators, etc.,eliminating the need for individual controls at each appliance. A totalsystem controller unit 40 is located remote from the appliances withsufficient capability to operate each one individually or as combinedfunctions. For example, two or more ovens could be started on similarcooking cycles through the controller unit 40 starting at the same time.The result is that the meals are finished at the same time, reducingwork load on flight attendants. In addition, the controller 40 monitorsall of the appliances and prioritize work efforts. The total systemcontroller 40 also preferably monitors appliances for diagnosticpurposes, and produces a system “health” status to aircraft maintenancepersonnel or maintenance communication systems. The integrated controlsystem has the power controls built in and provides power management foroptimizing power usage. Thus, the integrated controller approach is anew concept that reduces overall parts and components in the galley,saving weight, costs, space, and time in the operation of the galley.

The capacity to start or operate multiple aircraft galley GAINs using asingle, remote control panel is a useful feature of the presentinvention. For example, setting a temperature for all of the galleychillers at one time, or setting all of the oven temperatures from thecontrol panel is not found in current systems. Moreover, the integratedapproach allows for power allocation from a power control anddistribution unit, which distributes power to the various equipment inthe galley according to a predetermined protocol. This ensures that thepower requirements of the galley are met and that certain lower priorityGAINs do not usurp power from higher priority power clients. Moreover,the integrated galley includes a display panel that monitors the statusfunctionality of the galley inserts. Monitoring the equipment isaccomplished by scrolling or requesting the information from the controlpanel, which can access the status of each equipment and provide rapidresponse to the request for status of each individual apparatus.

Another preferred feature of the control panel 30 is a communicationsystem that is established between galleys on the aircraft, passengersand the galley, and flight attendants interacting with both the galleyand the passengers. FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of the control panel 30that includes a communication mode that allows direct communicationbetween galleys, and between passengers. In FIG. 5, a series of controlitems are shown as part of a larger control panel 30. There is a boilercontrol 302 including “L”, “M”, and “H” buttons corresponding to low,medium, and high, respectively. Thus, the boiler located below thecontrol panel 30 forming part of the galley can be controlled by thecontrols 302 along the control panel. Additionally, lighting controls304 show an “off” icon, a “dim” icon, and a “bright” icon correspondingto various conditions for the overhead lights. Next to the lightcontrols 304 is a passenger communication link 306 for communicatingwith a passenger on the plane the passenger communication link 306 formspart of a wireless or wired system that can relay voice or data from thepassengers to the galley. In the example shown, a passenger icon 308 isshown along with a seat designation “5A”, identifying the communicationas coming from the passenger in seat 5A. As stated above, the link canbe a voice link where the passenger speaks into a microphone and thevoice signal is transmitted to the galley via a voice data line orwireless link, or the link can be a data link that transmits textualmessages to a display screen. By depressing the icon using the touchscreen technology, a two-way communication link is established withpassenger 5A, indicated by the icon 318 of a telephone showing the linkis active. The passenger can then request a beverage, ask a question, orconvey some information to the galley. In the example, shown, a speaker320 is shown designated a voice link, along with a telephone icon 318that illuminates when the link is active.

In addition to the passenger link 306, there is a galley-to-galley link312. Display element 310 illustrates a list of other galleys on theaircraft (M1, M2, . . . M5). To establish a communication link betweenanother galley, the desired galley designation within the list isdepressed, illuminating the galley to be called. The attendant thenpresses the telephone icon, initiating a call to the requested galley.Speaker 320 relays the other party's voice to the galley, or a handsetcan be used. Alternatively, the voice mode can be replaced with a textmode, where communications are entered via a keyboard and a screendisplays the communication, both to the passenger and the galley. Inthis manner, the galley can automatically create two way communicationbetween galleys in the aircraft.

In a preferred embodiment, the galley can also be accessed by ahand-held communication device such as a smart phone, PDA, or other handheld communication device. Using an app or special function on thehand-held device, an attendant can press a button or sequence of buttonsto initiate a call to the galley. This leads to further access andcommunication between the galleys, passengers, and flight attendants. Inthe case of the hand held device carried by the flight attendant, thescreen may display a text of the communication rather than a voicecommunication in the alternate embodiment.

The following examples are illustrative of the advantages of thecommunication-linked galley of the present invention. A flight attendantis out on the floor conducting any number of meal services during theflight (see FIG. 6). There are a set number of meal types(beef-chicken-vegetable) available and, as the attendant gets to the endof her service she runs out of beef. The attendant needs to communicateback to the galley to request another beef meal without leaving her cartand interrupting the flow of her service. The attendant on the floorreaches into her pocket and removes a handheld communication device 200such as a smart phone or PDA, and activates an application that opens acommunication link 205 to the galley 10. She selects the “CALL GALLEY”button and talks to the purser in the galley to request another beefmeal. The purser in the galley: hearing a ringing in the galley,immediately looks at the display panel on the control panel 30 forinformation about who is calling. The purser sees a pulsing signal orother indicator next to an illuminated map of the plane 210. The mapshows the purser where the call is coming from. She picks up the galleyphone to take the call, and can thus deliver the meal to the attendantdirectly without wasting time.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example of the benefit of the communicationgalley of the present invention. Passenger X 220 is sitting midwaybetween door 4 and 5 of the aircraft. The passenger would like aparticular beverage from the selected menu items, but there are noflight attendants in sight and he is sitting in a middle seat. Ratherthan getting up or ringing the call bell, he simply navigates anoverhead display to request his menu item along a data bus 245. A purserin the galley 10 is made aware of Passenger X's request through thecontrol panel 30 (see FIG. 5) graphical display, along with preferablyan audible signal such as a beep or bell ring to draw attention to therequest. The display communicates to the purser which passenger therequest came from via a map of the plane 210, and describes what wasordered, either through a code, a scrolling ticker, or the like. Thepurser pushes a button on the control panel to send a signal back toPassenger X along the data bus 245 acknowledging the request and lettingthe passenger know that the request is being tended to. After only a fewseconds, Passenger X sees an automated reply pop up on his personaldisplay screen letting him know his request is in progress and that hiscredit card has been charged.

In yet another example, the purser in the previous example realizes hergalley is out of Passenger X's request, and presses the iconcorresponding to the adjacent galley and presses the phone icon,initiating a call to the adjacent galley. A purser at the next galleyhears a ring tone and quickly looks at the control panel in that galleyto see who is calling. She sees that it is the adjacent galley andanswers the phone, where the purser in the first galley asks if theproduct in question is in the adjacent galley. The purser responds thatthere is, and offers to take the product to Passenger X at his seatlocation. Thus, the galley to galley communication saves both time andeffort in meeting the passenger's demands.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the integrated galley andcommunication system can save time, weight, and costs in the galley.Although various embodiments have been described, it is to be understoodthat various modifications and substitutions would he appreciated by oneof ordinary skill in the art, and the present invention is intended toinclude all such modifications and substitutions. Accordingly, nothingin this specification or the drawings should be construed as limiting orexclusive unless expressly indicated. Rather, the scope of the inventionis measured by appended claims, using the plain and ordinary meaning ofthe words in view of, but not exclusive to, the description herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for communicating between passengerseats and an aircraft galley, comprising: a control unit including atouch screen display area for interfacing with a crew member; aplurality of devices, each positioned at a respective passenger seat,wherein the control unit is in wireless communication with the pluralityof devices; and a plurality of appliances; wherein the control unit isconfigured to receive operational signals from a plurality of appliancesand to present, upon the touch screen display area of the control unit,operational information regarding at least one of the plurality ofappliances; wherein the control unit is further configured to controloperation of one or more of the plurality of appliances; wherein thecontrol unit is further configured to simultaneously control operationof at least two appliances of the plurality of appliances; wherein theat least two appliances are at least two ovens, at least two beveragebrewing machines, at least two toasters, at least two chillers, or atleast two trash compactors; and wherein simultaneously controllingoperation comprises issuing commands to each appliance of the at leasttwo appliances to effect a same setting for each of the at least twoappliances.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit isadapted to display on the touch screen display area data related to aparticular order, including a location of an associated passenger seatfrom which the particular order originated, and wherein the control unitis further adapted to transmit to a particular device of the pluralityof devices associated with the order notifications concerning a statusof the particular order.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the pluralityof devices is a plurality of personal display screens, wherein aparticular personal display screen of the plurality of personal displayscreens is configured to indicate that the particular order is inprogress and that a credit card has been charged, wherein the particularorder is a particular food or beverage order.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the control unit is further configured to communicate with acrew handheld device.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein communicationwith the crew handheld device is wireless.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of devices is a plurality of personal displayscreens.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication bus furtherprovides a communication connection between the control unit and alighting system of the aircraft galley.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the control unit is remotely located from the plurality ofappliances.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit isconfigured to: receive, via a first control of a plurality of appliancecontrols, an indication of an operating parameter setting for at leastone appliance of the plurality of appliances; and cause adjustment ofthe at least one appliance according to the operating parameter setting.10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured todisplay diagnostic information comprising an error code corresponding toa first appliance of the plurality of appliances.
 11. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to display diagnosticinformation representing an operating status.
 12. The system of claim 1,wherein the control unit is configured to access, from each appliance ofthe plurality of appliances, status information.
 13. The system of claim1, wherein the control unit is configured to communicate, to amaintenance communication system, a portion of operational informationincluding at least one of diagnostic information and maintenanceinformation.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit ispositioned in the galley.
 15. The system of claim 1, further comprisinga communication bus providing a communication connection between thecontrol unit and each of the plurality of devices.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the communication bus further provides a communicationconnection between the control unit and the plurality of appliances.